We’ve all been there: the awkward first date. He’s shy. She’s nervous. They wait for a table at a restaurant and try to make small talk, but observations about the weather and the restaurant prove both uninteresting and brief. On their JDate profiles, they seemed so perfect for each other, but in person the silence is hard to overcome.
Suddenly, she perks up. “Hey, did you know that Jon Stewart’s real last name is Leibowitz? He dropped it when he became a comic, but apparently he’s got a rocky relationship with his dad too.” Their shoulders drop, they start breathing more freely and the conversation begins to flow. They sit and order. “Yeah, I love that Jon Stewart is Jewish. And Stephen Colbert, too,” she says.
“Actually, Stephen Colbert isn’t Jewish at all,” he responds. “Neither is Joy Behar–can you believe it? I was always sure she was Jewish, but it must just be the New Yorker in her.” Sparks fly. Chemistry ensues. A second date is scheduled.
Sometimes all it takes to get past the hurdle of a first date is some fun, quirky fodder for conversation. Enter DateTalk by Moment, a new weekly column in collaboration with JDate designed to boost the banter with interesting anecdotes, tidbits, and conversation starters. The column, available on both Moment’s website and Jdate’s new JMag e-magazine, will be published each Monday. Check out our archive of the first DateTalk by Moment columns, and stay tuned every week for the latest additions!